


Some Sugar in Yours?

by ArchbowMistress, ThePastReliesOnMemories



Category: No Straight Roads (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Romance, Best Friends (Former), Coffee, Couch Cuddles, Dorks in Love, Enemies to lovers (aftermath), F/M, First Love (Again), Gentle Kissing, I REGRET NOTHING, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Idiots in Love, Male-Female Friendship (Past), Mutual Pining (Past), Not Beta Read, Post-Canon, Rain, Redemption, Slow Burn, We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 04:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30033225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchbowMistress/pseuds/ArchbowMistress, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePastReliesOnMemories/pseuds/ThePastReliesOnMemories
Summary: Heavy rain, a cup of coffee, raindrops on a window.The ticking of the clock goes on and on....Then, a knock on the door.
Relationships: Kliff/Tatiana | Kul Fyra (No Straight Roads)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	Some Sugar in Yours?

**Author's Note:**

> Wondering why Chapter 4 of Old Flames was taking forever to come out? I blame my procrastination and my perfectionism hitting me in the head multiple times as I tried to finish this one-shot _that was originally meant to be for Valentines Day_... and it's the middle of March.
> 
> That's how bad it got.
> 
> Oh well, more content for my OTP.  
> I have... maybe just one or two regrets regarding how I spent my time.
> 
> Anyway, to make a long story short, this is a simple fluff fanfic with a dash of slow burn (just a tiny bit), and the bits and pieces of backstory here does apply to Old Flames. About how this one-shot came to be, ArchbowMistress here made the draft... and me, wanting to make the best of it because it's not everyday I get content of my OTP, decided to make a _full_ rewrite of the draft, including adding and removing ideas and constantly rewriting some sections to make it flow better - what was originally about 10-ish (or less, can't remember) pages ended up becoming a full 23 pages of content for this rarepair that I love to death, dang it, I want more content of them— and so, here we are.
> 
> I spent nearly 4 weeks writing this.  
> My semester break was only 3 weeks and I spent it _all_ on this.  
> The first class of the second semester starts tomorrow morning.  
> Woe is meeeee.
> 
> RIP Pasta's plans.
> 
> Nevertheless, I wanted to get a few words of thanks out to some people who helped out with this one-shot. Namely ArchbowMistress herself for the draft; DJ インク, OblexoidBriar, Mr. Fahrenheit, Kapitolist and Miko for checking the stories (and giving suggestions) when either one of you were offline or unavailable... and that's about it.
> 
> Enjoy the story!

It was a slow evening today.

Sitting on the couch in her apartment's living room with a steaming cup of black coffee in her hands, Tatiana was staring out of a window as she took a sip of her drink. Its transparent surface was decorated with numerous beads of water from the relentless rain, endlessly pattering against the window and filling the air with white noise. The skies had remained a constant shade of grey following the news of a monsoon, which was reported the previous day – while her home was well-equipped to handle such storms, she couldn't say the same for others that had little time to prepare.

Earlier, she had contacted Bunk Bed Junction to ask if they were able to deal with the oncoming rainfall. The pair had admitted that although it was a bit too sudden for them to prepare the things they needed to weather through the storm, they had already moved everything that might be destroyed due to the rain. For now, they were temporarily staying with a friend whose house was much more elevated – if her memory was not wrong, that friend's name was Zam, the radio DJ that gained popularity during the revolution.

They're in safe hands, at least.

Soon realising that her thoughts have drifted off to being concerned about the two rockers, Tatiana found herself chuckling. It was peculiar, to find that the very people who tried to end her company were now her subject of worry.

_Well, they're grown adults with a steadily growing fanbase, one that can support their gigs and necessities.  
They'll be fine, surely._

Tatiana frowned for a moment before she took a cautionary sip from her coffee. As a bitter, hot taste filled her mouth and she stared at the reflection of herself on the coffee's surface, she attempted to reassure herself in her head that Bunk Bed Junction would be alright. However, the niggling feeling of concern for the two rock artists still sat in the back of her mind… like a persistent stain that wouldn't go away no matter how hard she scrubbed at it.

_…Maybe. Hopefully._

Before the CEO let her worries overrun her mind, suddenly, the sound of a knock on her apartment's door dispelled all of them instantly— Tatiana was briefly startled at the noise, blinked a few times as she lifted her head to stare in the direction where the door was… only for her to tilt her head in confusion once she realised something.

There was a monsoon raging outside, but _someone_ was at her door?  
No one should even be out and about in these conditions.

Tatiana felt a twinge of annoyance in her chest – whoever it was that knocked on her door was either a fool for being out in this weather, or a prankster who had nothing better to do than disturb others. Putting her mug down on the coffee table in front of the couch, she got up and strode up to the door with the intention of simply checking whoever it is that was that knocked on the door, just to satiate her curiosity.

Peeking into the peephole, she was already sighing in exasperation once she registered that the person on the other side of the door was no one important and already pulled away from it— only to turn right back around a second later.

Wait a minute.

_A head of wet ginger hair._  
_Rectangle glasses…  
Blue eyes._

There's only one person she knew that had those features.

Eyes widening in recognition, Tatiana immediately began removing the multiple security locks on the door – ranging from a simple latch, down to a short bypass on a security function that Neon J installed for her a few years back for the purpose of… stopping trespassers and whatnot.

Damn it, that man's paranoia from the war was making her take longer than usual just to _open_ a door.

After struggling with the security locks for long enough, she finally managed to unlock all of them— and promptly swung the door open with an unnecessary amount of strength. Lo and behold, it was Kliff who stood on the other side, carrying only a small hand-carry bag that appeared to be wrapped in a waterproof covering of sorts. The man had a stunned expression on his face from witnessing the door being opened so abruptly… though it wasn't long before it melted into an uneasy, somewhat sheepish smile at the sight of the CEO.

He was _drenched_.

That much was obvious, from the way his ginger hair was plastered against his forehead along with how soaked his clothes had gotten.

Kliff could only let out an awkward laugh. "Um… hey, Tatiana."

Tatiana stared at him shortly before exhaling in disbelief, shaking her head. "…Please don't tell me that you walked all the way here?" she questioned as she took in his whole appearance, noting how his clothes were still dripping with water, including his own hair. "Because from the looks of it, you certainly did."

The silence and the look of embarrassment she received in response was exactly how she expected the answer to be.

"Oh, for the love of— just come in, quick. The last thing I want to happen is to see you get sick with a cold, all because you thought it was a smart idea to walk through a _monsoon_ of all things." Ushering Kliff into the apartment (and seeing him slightly stumble in his steps), Tatiana ignored how the man was practically leaving a trail of water on the floor of her apartment as he moved inside – she'll have to wipe that up eventually. "Leave your shoes there. Did you bring spare clothes, at least?"

Putting his bag down so he could take off his (soaked) shoes before putting them where Tatiana said he should, Kliff briefly looked up at her as he picked up the bag once more. "Well, of course, but—"

"Ah." Tatiana lifted a finger to silence him. "Not another word until I see you in dry clothes." Then, she pointed towards a hallway with the same finger. "The bathroom is in this hall, the second door on the left. Turn the shower handle to the right for hot water, middle for warm. Don't turn it to the left unless you want to freeze to death. Now _go_ , I'll get you something warm in the meantime."

Kliff opened his mouth in an attempt to say something, but the pointed look the CEO gave him (and how she glanced in the direction of the bathroom to further emphasize her point) made the man shut it again.

He can't really argue, can he?  
He _was_ drenched from top to bottom.  
Plus, standing in place was causing him to make a puddle of water on the floor.

With a sigh, he followed her directions and found the bathroom to be the second door on the left, just like Tatiana said – the woman herself had walked off into the kitchen after the conversation ended, probably to prepare something for him. Entering it, he set his bag on a dry part of the floor so he could open it. Finding the few dry articles of clothes, he managed to grab before leaving, he set it near the sink and began preparing himself to take a shower. He started by pulling off his current clothes which clung to his skin with how soaked they were from all the rainwater.

Eugh, this monsoon season was unusually harder than the previous ones. He tried his best to get under covers while on the way here, but he still ended up soaked to the bone…

Dumping the wet clothes in a corner of the bathroom (he'll have to squeeze the water out of them later…) for the time being, the man took off the rest of the accessories he had on him before he finally got into the shower. It was a fairly normal affair… or as normal as it could get when he's washing up in the bathroom of the apartment belonging to an old friend he made amends with not long ago. He only planned to wash up for a few minutes, sufficient enough to warm his head and body up while getting rid of the cold rainwater.

As that went on, Kliff began pondering about how he should explain to Tatiana about his sudden arrival at her place. Would she even believe him if he told her that something happened to his shop and that he had no one he could get help from? Sure, he still had some contacts left in spite of his actions back during the Rock Revolution… but they were all equally busy attempting to handle the monsoon. 

…He'll just have to hope she will listen.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tatiana was busy making another batch of decaffeinated coffee in her kitchen, this time for Kliff. She had already made a small amount earlier that evening, but the last of that batch was now sitting in her mug in the living room. While she waited for the coffee maker to finish its job of brewing, she took out another mug as well as a small container of brown sugar from their respective cupboards – she didn't know if Kliff's preference remained the same after all these years (he always preferred it with sugar and no cream) or if his taste had long changed, so she decided to bring the sugar along just in case.

While she then tried to find a tray so it would be easier to bring all these things over to the living room, her mind drifted off to wonder about _why_ Kliff chose to come to her apartment in this storm. Surely, he would have a reason for such a drastic decision when most people would choose to stay inside.

Did… something happen?

Hmm.

The sound of a click from the coffee maker snapped Tatiana out of her thoughts, realising that the fresh batch of coffee was done brewing. At the same time, a peek through the doorway which led to the living room made her notice Kliff stepping into the living room. He took a seat on the couch, finally dressed in dry clothes after taking a shower a few minutes prior… although, his hair was still wet. Just not as wet as before, perhaps he tried to squeeze it dry but couldn't get all the water out.

Well, either way, right on time.  
She even found a tray.

Like clockwork, Tatiana went to the coffee maker and took out the jug filled with decaffeinated coffee, bringing it over to the tray that already had the mug and the container of sugar on it. Putting a clean teaspoon into the mug (in case Kliff wanted to add sugar and mix it into his coffee), she then poured the hot liquid into the cup until it was full. Once done, she set the jug down on the tray before lifting it up, shortly setting out into the living room.

She set the tray down once she was close enough to the coffee table, offering the cup of coffee to the ginger-haired man. "Here. Some coffee to warm you up," she told him. "It's decaffeinated."

"Oh… t-thanks." Blinking once in surprise, Kliff then carefully reached out to the cup in Tatiana's hold, his fingers visibly trembling as they wrapped around the shape of the mug. He then placed the cup on his lap, holding and staring at it without drinking the coffee. At the same time, he was taking deep, shaky breaths – he was seemingly trying to keep his body from outwardly showing how cold he felt. Even then, the man's shoulders were evidently shivering, a sign that he couldn't hide no matter how hard he tried.

It was rather noticeable to Tatiana.

The woman slowly released a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding all this while, frowning momentarily.

She hardly felt a chill in her body despite the current weather, thanks to her higher-than-normal body temperature compared to the average human being. Yet Kliff was just a normal man with hardly a drop of musical mutation to his body; of course, he would end up feeling cold.

Dear Qwasa, what is she going to do with this idiot?

"…Wait here."

Ignoring the way Kliff lifted his head in puzzlement at her words, Tatiana merely walked off in the direction of her room in the apartment so she could retrieve a spare weighted blanket from her closet. It was all folded up, so she had no trouble carrying it as she returned to the living room— but not before picking up a dry head towel from the bathroom on the way there. 

Upon arriving, she went behind the couch before promptly dumping the blanket around Kliff's shoulders, while the towel went onto the man's head.

"Wha—?" Kliff slightly jumped in surprise at the sudden weight on his shoulders and head, a tinge of panic in his voice when his vision was temporarily blocked by the head towel – thank goodness he already put his cup on the table or all that hot coffee would've spilled onto his lap. Before long, he realised that it was the CEO's doing (" _Hold still._ ") as she grabbed hold of the towel's ends and began rubbing his hair. She wasn't overly forceful with her movements either, which left him even more confused. "T-Tatiana?"

Tatiana sighed in exasperation, being careful as she tried to dry the wet mop of ginger that was this man's hair. It wasn't easy with her hands being quite big, but she has had enough practice when a majority of the public had smaller hands than her. "You dolt, why didn't you dry your hair? Leaving it wet like this is just you begging to get sick."

Oh.

She was trying to dry his hair.  
That's… surprising.

"I… well, I didn't want to impose too much on you, Tatiana. I'm already glad that you let me in, when you didn't have to in the first place." Kliff smiled guiltily as a weak chuckle came out of him. "I didn't want to assume things and take advantage of your hospitality, not when we've just…" He trailed off as his voice grew quieter, now treading on a topic that they both were still mindful of. "…y'know."

Tatiana didn't need to hear the rest of that sentence to know what he was talking about. Her stern expression softened as she let go of the towel, and she bit her lower lip at the memory of _that_ particular talk not so long ago.

Right.

_Not when we've just repaired our relationship.  
Not when we've just overcome most of the understandings between us.  
Not when we've just…_

"I know."

Leaving the (now rather damp) towel on Kliff's head, Tatiana moved around the couch before finally sitting next to the man. At least that towel would help to absorb whatever moisture was left in his hair. 

She still wasn't entirely satisfied with how he was behaving… yet, if she considered what he just said, it made sense. 

Had she been in his shoes, she might've reacted the same.

"Nevertheless… you could've simply _asked_ me, Kliff."

Grasping at the rims of the fabric on his shoulders, Kliff wrapped it a little tighter around himself to block out the cold air – he gave Tatiana a small, sheepish smile, his shivering less evident as he began to warm up thanks to the blanket. Still, he looked rather funny ( _it's not as if Tatiana would ever admit that—_ ) with the towel still on his head. "Sorry, I was just… worried about the stuff I said earlier. At least I know better now."

"Hm. At least." Tatiana shook her head with a small smile on her face as she grabbed the two mugs of coffee on the table. She gave the cup belonging to Kliff back to him – it was easy to differentiate the two since one of them was still steaming hot while hers was already cooling off.

"Ah… thank you." Kliff carefully took his cup back, staring at it for a few moments. He then took a sip of it… only to make a face as he nearly spat it back out. Swallowing it down with a grimace, he then forced a smile onto his face. "Ack— this… sure is bitter…!" he commented, letting out an awkward laugh as he attempted to restrain himself from scowling due to the bitterness. "Is there… um, no sugar in it?"

Witnessing all of that (and the question that came up afterwards) made Tatiana snort as she picked up the container full of brown sugar from the tray and placed it in front of Kliff on the table. "After so long, I didn't know if your preference was still the same… so, I simply didn't put in any," she informed him with an amused smile, watching as the man stood up to open the container and scoop a few heaps of brown sugar into his coffee, careful to not spill any on the floor. He then mixed it all up with the teaspoon in his cup. "I suppose this means that you still take it with only sugar."

Sitting back down on the couch after tasting his coffee to see if it was suitable to his taste, Kliff smiled wistfully at the woman beside him as he nodded once. "…Yeah. I'm surprised you still remembered how I took my coffee."

Tatiana didn't know how to respond to that.

_Too close to each other to merely forget, yet stupid enough to miss all the signs.  
How was she so dense, to not realise…?  
If only she…_

_…it's all in the past, now._

Opting to keep silent, she averted her gaze from Kliff as she finally drank her own cup of coffee – a few moments later, she paused and stared at the black liquid with a grimace. Something about the taste was off… it was not her first time drinking black coffee nor was she new to that overwhelming bitterness. Her preference had always been coffee with no sugar (or milk, for that matter) and while it had bothered her the first time around, she had no issue with it afterwards. 

She was literally drinking from the same cup _and_ brew from earlier. It wasn't even _that_ long since she last drank from it! Even then, the bitterness lingering on her tongue was suddenly too much for her to ignore.

After pondering about it for a while, she came to the conclusion that the taste was merely no longer satisfactory to her, right here and now.

How strange.

Noticing the look on Tatiana's face as she stared at her coffee, Kliff chuckled quietly as he, too, passed over the sugar by pushing the container on the table until it was in front of the CEO. "Need some sugar in yours, too?" he asked, sitting back on the couch while nursing his mug in his hands. Smiling sheepishly at her, he gestured at the woman's coffee cup with a tilt of his head. "The coffee _is_ pretty bitter on its own."

"Ha. You're not wrong." Wryly smiling, Tatiana was aware that it was now her turn to add sugar to the coffee. Ironic, considering that she originally _chose_ to drink black coffee… "Perhaps it's time for a change." With that, she reached out and scooped some of the sweetener into her cup too, mixing it up with her cup's own teaspoon.

Taking a tentative sip from her mug, she found that the brew was much more tolerable now. Its newfound sweetness from the sugar, balancing out the coffee's bitter upbringing…

Well, it's better than before.

That's good.

Leaning back into the couch, the CEO let the seconds pass her by as she savoured her drink, of that bittersweet taste which was quite pleasant. Her eyes glanced to the side, at the man who sat beside her – thinking about it now, she had yet to ask him about his motive for being out during this monsoon… _and_ coming over to her place out of all people. Was it because of their relationship, as shaky as it was after they've managed to repair it? Or did he have some other motive for taking such drastic actions?

Kliff must have noticed that she was staring at him, from the way his eyes peeked at her once… and how he kept his eyes forward afterwards, never looking back. Saying nothing, pretending that he wasn't aware of that fact.

They both continued to take occasional sips at their own drinks.  
The rain continued to patter against the window.  
On and on and on.

…Maybe it's time they broke this awkward atmosphere.

Setting her cup on the table, Tatiana turned to face the ginger-haired man directly. "Kliff. I need to ask you something."

The sudden question almost made Kliff choke on his drink— he was obviously unnerved by her behaviour, yet acted like he was fine… or at least, he _tried_ to. He somehow managed to not make a fool of himself, setting his cup down as well before focusing on the woman next to him with an embarrassed smile. "Y-Yes?"

"…Why were you going out during a rainstorm, and why come here? Were you not informed about it the other day? You couldn't have missed the dozen flood warnings that played on both the radio and the news networks on TV."

"Oh." At Tatiana's words, Kliff let his gaze fall to the floor, alongside his smile with it. Sheepishly, he fidgeted in his seat before managing to open his mouth to answer – "To… make a long story short, my shop got flooded… with all the water washing out the streets, I couldn't stay there— and I fled to the upper portions of the city with what little I managed to carry." He felt terrible as the revelation of his shop (one that he painstakingly worked to keep up) still most likely being flooded at this hour washed over him, like an ice-cold tidal wave that crashed onto his body and sent away the warmth he felt from the blanket around him. 

At least he managed to transfer most of the water-sensitive items to another place the day before… that hopefully wouldn't get flooded either. 

"With… the whole… erm, _satellite_ thing, I don't have many contacts left."

Having to bring up the sour memory of _that_ specific incident caused him to cringe slightly as he glanced at the CEO.

Tatiana merely gave him a deadpan stare in return, shaking her head a moment after. It's in the past, they've already had their fair share of arguments for it… not to mention that the man has gone through a lot after the dust had settled, having his shop flooded. "Go on. What about it?"

Kliff nervously chuckled, averting his eyes as he continued to explain himself. "So, uh… those that stayed, the ones I could possibly ask for help from were… equally as busy with the storm themselves, so I didn't want to trouble them further in regards to the monsoon…" His fingers, still holding onto the blanket's edges, clutched onto it tighter as he was gradually reaching the end of his little 'tale'. "Then, the next person that came to mind was… _you_ , and— well… here I am."

He managed another small, awkward laugh. "I wasn't even sure if you would help, considering everything—"

Then he abruptly fell silent, when a finger was placed upon his lips.

"Shush."

Letting her hand fall, the CEO sighed quietly – as it was now Kliff's turn to stare at her, he watched as her gaze softened. Somehow… just seeing _that_ made the anxiety that was once overwhelming him for the situation… dissipate. Like a warm breeze in the morning after a cold night.

"You don't need to explain any further, Kliff. I understand." Tatiana could only imagine the amount of trouble the man suffered to end up here. "It must have been difficult…" she murmured, thinking back to the information she knew about the city's water drainage system.

It was a known fact that the numerous rusty pipes that made up the city's water drainage system were quickly becoming outdated and desperately in need of replacement or a total overhaul. This was due to the fact that Vinyl City was a coastal city, so floods were a frequent occurrence during the monsoon season, especially if one lived close to the river that ran through the original grounds (which was now the lower half of the city) before the upper half were built. By utilising the system and letting the water flow back into the river, they were able to build closer and closer to the coast of this side of the island. When they were done with that, they moved on to building the upper portions to the city to further maximize the space they had.

Both sections were more at risk of being flooded… yet, they were mostly able to circumvent those from happening with help from the system and other structures, such as the walls lining the edges of the city that were near the coast, made to prevent floods if the sea levels rose. However, with the pipes themselves becoming aged after nearly a decade of use, they've begun leaking water and are now contributing to the flooding problem in the lower parts of the city.

She had ordered Neon J, her trusted third-in-command to focus his efforts into fixing or even improving the old pipe system (if it was within NSR's capabilities) as soon as possible. Despite their efforts to deal with the issues and even spreading the news of incoming rainstorms so that people had more time to prepare, there were still a few affected.

…Including Kliff himself.

"Well, you are welcome to stay here until the storm has passed, or at least, until the floodwaters have receded. I have a guest room you can sleep in for the night."

Kliff smiled in both relief and gratitude, his eyes conveying those exact emotions. "Thank you, Tatiana."

Eyes of cerise stared back at those venetus blues.  
One, two, three seconds…  
A blink.

Swiftly looking away, Tatiana covered her mouth with her fist as she cleared her throat. She was staring for far too long at the man without saying a word.

Her face felt warm.

"…It's the least I could do."

A small laugh from beside her.  
Did he notice?

"You've already done a lot for me. I'm grateful, truly."

This time, Tatiana did not reply, choosing to simply hum in acknowledgement as she set down her coffee cup on the table, exchanging it for a magazine (she had been reading it before she thought to make a hot drink for herself) to continue where she last left off while reading it. Kliff, too, picked up his drink from the same table, aware that the conversation had ended by that point.

From there, a silence fell between the two.

With the muffled sounds of the ongoing storm becoming white noise in the background, Tatiana flipped through the magazine in her hands while Kliff silently took his time drinking his coffee. Although, despite the coffee and the blanket draped around his shoulders, Kliff still found himself feeling cold from the rain. Being caught in the storm and the lack of heaters in the apartment (well, they _did_ live in a tropical country, it's no wonder that apartments wouldn't have heaters but he's getting off-topic—) meant that the air in the place was chilly, rivalling that of actual places with _air-conditioning_ on.

Taking a deep breath, he blew warm air at his hands that were still wrapped around his cup of coffee, hoping to dispel the hints of cold that itched in the tips of his fingers. It didn't do much, making him frown as he tried to wrap the blanket around himself tighter without spilling his drink. He then glanced at the woman next to him, a faint memory from his university years coming to mind – right, they used to sit close together whenever it got cold since she was akin to a heater with her body temperature… 

Though, now there's _no way_ he's getting close like that without her permission, so—

…Ugh.

He always fared terribly with the cold.  
Getting older didn't help all that much.

Kliff huffed quietly as he put his cup down, deciding that it wasn't hot enough anymore. He started rubbing his hands together in an attempt to warm them up; darn it, he wished he didn't have such a low tolerance level for cold temperatures.

As this went on, Tatiana was staring at him from the corner of her eyes while acting like she was simply reading the magazine she was holding. It took her a few moments to recall the fact that Kliff was someone who got cold easily and had difficulties warming up – the man didn't wear a scarf for no reason. Although they lived in a country that had warm and humid weather all year long, Kliff just had the bad luck to be sensitive enough to low temperatures that he'd shiver if left for too long in a cold environment, such as rainy weather like today.

It was bad enough that one might find him sneezing and shaking from the cold due to being in a room that had the air-conditioner on for too long.

Most people would find a scarf stuffy to wear in, but it was just perfect for him. A scarf was enough to keep warm, and it didn't bother him even if it was a sunny day. It was just one of those few unique quirks he had.

Tatiana sighed.

Setting the magazine down, she scooted closer to Kliff and gently took hold of his hands, covering them with her own. She was acutely aware of how cold the man's hands were against her palms – her body temperature should be enough to warm them up. "…You always did get cold easily," she commented in a quiet voice, watching as Kliff stared at their hands with a stunned expression on his face, seemingly at a loss for words at the gesture. He then stared at her with that same expression, making her chuckle (if she sounded nervous, she _refused_ to admit it—) at the sight. "Kliff, please, don't look at me like that."

"No, it's just… I just didn't expect…" Breaking his stare to look down at their hands once more, Kliff found himself struggling to explain his reaction. All the attempts to form coherent sentences in his mind were met with dead-ends, rendering him completely speechless. In the end, he remained silent and merely kept his mouth shut.

The CEO herself said nothing in return as she raised an eyebrow at the man, not understanding the reason behind his behaviour. Why the abrupt silence, and what did he mean by _not expecting_ something? 

Eventually, her gaze fell to stare at their hands as well.

Is it something to do with this…?

…It took a few seconds for the sheer _awkwardness_ of the situation to finally hit Tatiana square in the head, causing her to abruptly let go of Kliff's hands.

Oh.  
_Oh._  
Oh, Qwasa _._

She is a dense _idiot_.

The two adults quickly turned away from each other, both of them equally flustered at the implications of what just occurred. Their faces were dusted with a twinge of red, embarrassed expressions hidden from the other.

As that awkward atmosphere from earlier returned in full force, neither said a word for a good while, unsure of what to say after all of that. Although they've managed to settle most of the misunderstandings between them that began from the day the Goolings disbanded… along with resuming their friendship which originally shattered under the weight of the mistakes they've made… well, they both knew this could, _would_ happen at some point— try as they might to act normal around each other, there was no denying that something lay beyond the guise of friendship.

Similar to that hate they once had, those feelings of hostility which lasted for over two decades… so did a longing, an unspoken starvation for a _bond_ deeper than any of the chasms they have built and crumbled between one another. The camaraderie they shared during the years of their university life had blossomed into something _more_ , the kind that grew between friends that deeply trusted each other above all others. 

The chance was there, to open a new door in regards to their relationship.

They never took it.

Life got in the way, misunderstandings took hold and they made one mistake after another— ultimately, in a single night, a pair of old friends turned into enemies.

Notwithstanding, those feelings had somehow weathered the storms of hatred when they've already long given up on one another. When they met for the first time in over a decade during the height of the Rock Revolution… that longing was still there, even then.

No matter what they did, they couldn't forget each other after all these years. 

…So, here they were, still very much uneasy with each other regardless of them _knowing_ about how they felt, and having _agreed_ to try something out. It was ironic, considering there existed a saying – if a pair of people successfully endure through various conflicts and obstacles together, it would strengthen their relationship. Evidently, years of hostility have eroded their sense of comfort with the other person, leaving the two adults walking on eggshells whenever the _elephant in the room_ made itself known.

All in all, they were simply wary of each other after all that happened. Cautious and hesitant, unlike how they acted during their younger years. Breaking the ice should've come easily for them, if their university years were any hint of how close they used to be— and yet, trying to overcome that wariness was akin to crossing a chasm with only a rickety bridge to bring you across.

Or, well, they _assumed_ it was like that.  
They were purely being _awkward idiots_ about it.  
When did making a move become so difficult?

Tatiana inwardly cursed the fact that all the training she did to overcome her meekness, her passiveness… all of it came up to nothing when it involved the man sitting next to her. She attempted to force herself into doing _something_ to lighten the mood; instead, her body refused to move, and her mind failed to come up with anything. Quietly sighing, she started tapping her index finger against the seat of the couch, a habit she showed whenever she was struggling with a certain problem.

Then, she glanced at Kliff from the corner of her eyes, wondering if he had the same problem – only to avert her gaze when she noticed his head turning towards her.

Once she realised what she had done, she felt a compulsion to facepalm herself.

…Damn it.

What is she, a _teenager_?  
Why is she behaving like this?

Now mildly annoyed with herself, Tatiana had half a mind to just turn and face Kliff directly so they could get rid of this strange atmosphere— only to freeze in place when a weight was placed around her shoulders, a comfortable warmth following it. Checking her shoulders, she quickly recognised the coloured fabric that hung from them. Realising that it was the weighted blanket she gave Kliff, she looked at the man in both confusion and surprise. "Kliff, what are you…?"

Kliff stayed quiet as he stared back at her nervously, the other end of the blanket on his shoulders as well. He had already pulled off the towel on his head, now draped over his lap. The thick blanket that had once served as the small bit of distance between the two adults was now gone, leaving them sitting directly next to each other with no barrier.

Just seconds ago, he felt daring enough to take that first step… yet, the moment Tatiana looked at him, he found his courage slipping from him. Honestly, he wasn't sure about where he was going with this either. 

There was no turning back now.

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Kliff took a deep breath to calm his nerves. His heart was beginning to thump rapidly in his chest, it was as if it would _burst_. "Hey… remember the time we talked at the top of NSR Tower, and how we decided to try this… _thing_ out?" he asked softly, feeling as if he were to speak too loudly, this whole situation would become more embarrassing, and they wouldn't be able to recover from this blunder. "I would… like to do something with you, if you wouldn't mind it."

Tatiana knew exactly which conversation he meant. She couldn't get that talk out of her head for _days_ afterwards.

…She could hear her heartbeat pounding quickly in her ears.

"Yes… I remember that talk we had," she replied just as quietly, still tapping a finger against the couch seat as she wondered about what Kliff meant by that. It had been a few weeks since they had that conversation, and despite what it entailed, they had… done nothing. Too busy with each other's lives to see one another, this being the first time they've met since then. She hadn't expected him today, yet life just had its own plans for them both by throwing this storm into the mess.

She had yet to break the stare between herself and Kliff, despite the lingering urge to break it and look away.

Is it just her, or did the room feel warmer than usual?  
Was it because of the blanket?  
She can't tell, her mind was going blank.

Nonetheless, Tatiana shook her head. "…I don't mind it. Do as you wish."

"Alright… okay then."

Taking yet another deep breath as he mustered up the courage to make a move, Kliff slowly lifted a hand towards Tatiana's face while he kept his eyes on hers. He hesitated for a moment as his fingertips just barely brushed against the cracks that lined her right cheek… before he gently cupped it, carefully rubbing his thumb against the lines. Years and years of stress doing work as the CEO of NSR had left permanent marks on her face and body as she endured through the pressure that came with the position, an odd feature of her flesh being made of living stone. 

Even with just a simple touch, he could tell how warm she was: an embodiment of fire and stone that had a tough exterior, but a soft and bright spirit within.

That spirit, it was… one reason why he fell for her.

Of course, there were a few other reasons why— but that was the biggest.

Tatiana Qwartz was undeniably beautiful… and for Kliff, she still is. She was an attractive woman, with her strength and her capability as a leader that came after the pain of losing the band that once defined her life, and even her unique appearance set her apart from many others.

However, what Kliff loved the most about Tatiana wasn't her strength (be it her newfound ability to persevere or the fact that she could easily break a person's nose with a single punch) nor her own looks. It was her pure love for music, shown in her sincerity in practicing and playing rock music, regardless of her complete inexperience with handling an electric guitar. There was also her intelligence, a sharp mind that could come up with ideas and comprehend topics about music and business despite her meekness. Last of all, it was those quiet moments where they would look upon the stars together on a hill, watching the painted night sky twinkle and shine… a world only she showed to him and no one else.

She was a big part of his life during his university years.

Now, they were merely bittersweet memories.  
He still cherished them.

Even though the Tatiana Qwartz he used to know back in those days was no longer here, parts of her still existed in the woman sitting before him. It took him a long time to realise that fact, through the talks and arguments he constantly had with her after the Revolution.

After all these years, despite the falling-out they had and the ensuing hatred – his feelings for her had never changed.

He wondered if she felt the same.

"…May I?"

A quiet exhale left Tatiana's lips, her eyes unwavering under Kliff's gaze. She had not let anyone touch her this way in years, never for the cracks in her skin until now… and the warmth of the man's hand against her cheek almost made her shiver, a movement she barely suppressed by clenching a fist in turn. The touch was foreign, and yet oddly _familiar_ — something she had painfully missed, from a man she had once trusted and cared for with all her heart.

Too much has happened, too many mistakes and missed chances. Years wasted on hating each other, wasted on misunderstandings that could've been avoided or dealt with much earlier. There were countless moments where they could've done something different, something to change the ending of their story… a pity, it wasn't meant to be.

It was a miracle they even succeeded in getting this far, after everything.

Sighing softly, she leaned her head into that warm hand on her cheek. This never-ending cycle of hate, she was tired of it.

Just this once, let her be selfish…

"…Yes, please."

Kliff said nothing more and leaned in, their eyes falling shut as their lips met in a simple kiss. Lingering, holding it for a few brief moments that felt like an eternity… they didn't move nor make a noise, only the melody of the rain in the background filling the room as it drowned out the sound of their heartbeat in their ears.

As if frozen in time.

Merely seconds had passed before their lips parted, Kliff pulling away to stare at Tatiana once more. The silence between them dragged on and on as seconds rolled by without a care, accompanied by the ticking of a clock.

Eventually, Tatiana averted her gaze from him.

"…I missed you," she whispered out, her eyes soon returning to look at Kliff as that same shade of red from earlier returned to her pale cheeks.

The hand on her cheek suddenly felt much warmer to her.

Kliff's eyes widened in surprise at the admission before his gaze softened, a similar colour growing on his face. "Yeah… me too," he admitted with a small chuckle, smiling sheepishly. "It's been a while."

A faint smile appeared on the woman's lips. "Mm."

Silence, yet again.  
They were still unused to this.

"…Tatiana, I—"

This time, it was Tatiana who closed the distance between them, cutting Kliff off as she kissed him. Momentarily shocked at the move, he was frozen in place – his mind took a while to register what just happened (because _Tatiana_ wasn't one to start things on a whim, especially when it involved matters regarding their relationship, so to be one on the receiving end…) before he finally relaxed, the tension in his body fading. 

Closing his eyes, he kissed her back.

_A hand on his shoulder. A hand on the back of her head._

This felt…  
It didn't feel as awkward as the last one.

_Once, twice, breaking away for a breath of air._  
_Then coming together, again and again, push and pull._  
_Crashing together, melding and drowning and…_

It felt right.

_…inevitably, it ended with a parting, like all others._

They were both panting as they broke away for the final time, their gazes fixated on each other's flushed faces. The sound of the storm outside had become white noise to their ears, focused on one another.

This is the closest they've been since… a long time ago.  
Much closer, even.

It's a foreign experience for them both.

"…Please, call me Tati. You've long earned back that right, Kliff," Tatiana murmured out, a wistful look in her eyes. She wasn't blind to the fact that Kliff has been calling her by her proper name this whole time instead of the nickname he used for her back in their younger years. 

Had their relationship been anything else, she would've let it be.

However, they were _trying_ now; surely that was enough of a reason to use it again?

Only a handful of people called her that, but he was the sole reason she even had (and kept) that nickname. That, and… she did miss hearing him say it.

Kliff's eyebrows rose in surprise at the request. He didn't expect her to care about such a small detail. "O-Oh… I just thought that… after everything, you wouldn't want to be called that anymore, so I kept to just using your name," he admitted quietly, looking away for a moment as he wondered about the last time he called her by that nickname. Possibly the day before she suddenly left, in the aftermath of the Goolings' disbandment… "But if that's what you want, then… okay, Tati."

There it is.

Just hearing it made Tatiana feel as if a wave of warmth flooded her heart— it reminded her of those times they spent together, bittersweet memories of a youth they couldn't get back… when life was simpler.

With a small sigh, Tatiana smiled softly at him. "That's better."

Kliff smiled back sheepishly – and the pair fell silent once again, unsure of how to carry on with this atmosphere between them.

How do they carry on from here…?

In the meantime, Kliff let his gaze move away to the pair of coffee mugs on the table near the couch, cooling off in the cold air. Eyes musing on the steam fading off into the air from the drinks, he thought about the things that had happened so far, from him being ushered inside the apartment to Tatiana giving him a cup of coffee afterwards… and now, this.

He didn't even anticipate all of this happening.

_Looking down at the pitch-black surface, a stray memory from earlier came to mind._  
_Huh, now that he thought about it…_

"…You know, Tati, you tasted a lot like coffee," Kliff remarked out of the blue, breaking the stillness that manifested between them in the aftermath of… all of _that_. He laughed slightly with that sheepish smile still on his flushed face, as he looked at Tatiana once more. "N-not that it's a bad thing! It's just… it's much sweeter than I remembered…"

The comment threw Tatiana off-guard, causing her to snort at how suddenly it came up. She laughed quietly as she shook her head – of all things, and it's the _taste_ he speaks about?

Somehow, it really did feel like Kliff to comment about _that_ of all things.

She missed that part of him.

"I suppose that's to be expected. We were drinking coffee, after all… and, shouldn't it be _bittersweet_ to you?" she retorted with an amused smile. "I don't recall adding so much sugar into my drink."

Kliff simply grinned teasingly at her, blue eyes shining with a playful glint. "Well… who's to say that it was _because_ of the sugar?"

Blinking once, Tatiana didn't get the meaning of the man's words at first.

…Oh.  
He's implying… oh.  
Oh, Qwasa, _this man_.

The instant she understood _what_ Kliff meant by that, the blush on the CEO's face deepened. 

Turning away from the ginger-haired man, Tatiana tried to hide her embarrassment by covering her face with a hand (she had a feeling that her ashen-white skin was definitely a bright red by now—), attempting to keep her cool. "D-don't suddenly make comments like that."

Seeing her get _this_ flustered made Kliff laugh again – little by little, he was starting to see the old Tatiana Qwartz he fell in love with so long ago. Soon reaching out to gently take hold of Tatiana's hand (the same one she used to cover her face), he pulled it away without much resistance from the woman.

Left with nothing else to hide her face with, Tatiana had no choice but to look at him while still red-faced, still visibly embarrassed.

Kliff wouldn't admit it out loud (not yet, not when they're still hoping that this relationship wouldn't _crash and burn_ like the last time), but seeing her like this made him think she was… adorable.

Wow, he's totally a fool for her.

Then again, it's not as if he loved anyone else (in a romantic way) in his whole lifetime…

Ignoring the way his heartbeat sped up at the sight, Kliff gave her a tender smile while holding her hand firmly. "You still haven't changed much when it comes down to teasing, huh…?" he commented as he looked down at their hands, noting that his hand was smaller than Tatiana's own. It faintly reminded him of the few times when she needed emotional support, which he would then hold one of her hands with both of his, just because one hand seemed much too small to give that sense of comfort to her.

She was stronger now, a true leader… but she still had her moments.

"…Anyway, glad to know that I can make the so-called _strict and emotionless_ CEO of NSR turn red like a tomato," he then joked while smiling mischievously, earning a stink eye from the CEO for that.

With a sigh, Tatiana simply shook her head before she let out a chuckle. "Oh, stop it. Don't make me take that privilege away, Kliff."

Kliff laughed again, softer this time. "Alright, alright…"

Just like that, all the animosity and discomfort from a while earlier melted away. 

In its place, a warm sort of calm fell between the two adults as they settled down, leaning back into the couch after taking back their cups of coffee. With the blanket still around their shoulders, they simply took their time enjoying their drinks while enjoying the pleasant moment… all while the storm went on outside, which didn't bother them the slightest. No, what mattered the most was the fact that they enjoyed each other's presence, to slowly overcome their awkwardness and just _be_ together.

…However, in the future, this situation would certainly repeat again. The discomfort and unease they felt around each other wouldn't go away that easily – it would take more effort for them to be fully comfortable again with the other person. 

It was the consequence for all those years they spent hating one another.

They've both made mistakes, they've both changed… they could make this work.  
They just had to try, break one wall at a time.  
They'll get there.

So, as a pair of empty coffee mugs sat on a table, both Tatiana and Kliff remained sitting on the couch while relaxing in each other's presence.

"...Hey, Tati?"

"Hm?"

They looked at each other.

Now put on the spot, Kliff nervously fiddled with the fabric of the blanket with his fingers. After a few moments, a determined expression appeared on his face as he placed a hand on Tatiana's, gently squeezing it. She didn't pull away, giving him a patient smile which further gave him the courage to do what he had in mind.

It's now or never.

"I… I know we've only just started but— I wanted to say this, at least. For a start."

Tatiana raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?"

_Then, he uttered them._  
_Three simple words, accompanied by her name._  
_A sentence she never expected to hear, after everything._

A pair of magenta eyes widened in genuine surprise, speechless as the weight of those words struck her in the chest and left her breathless. She turned her head away from him, crimson taking over the white on her face for the umpteenth time as she showed a brief yet rare moment of shyness.

_A door finally opened._

She took a deep breath… and let it out slowly.

Eventually, Tatiana faced him once more and soon planted a gentle kiss on his forehead – echoing those three words in a quiet whisper.

Then, she pulled away.

Now, it was Kliff's turn to be surprised – with a stunned expression on his blushing face. He slowly put a hand to his forehead, seemingly in a stupor for a while as he took in all that just occurred.

She giggled at the sight, finding the sight humorous.  
He, too, chuckled after moments passed.

Soon enough, they shared a kiss for the third time. 

They found it was much easier to do this time around.

_Together again, after so long._  
_It's a start._

…Gradually, as the minutes passed, what little space between them slowly disappeared before they were finally leaning into each other – with Kliff's head on Tatiana's shoulder while she rested her head on his, his ginger hair tickling her cheek… the warmth of their bodies blending together, creating a comfortable air between them.

It just came naturally for them, a familiarity reminiscent of when they were still best friends.

A peacefulness they've sorely missed.

While they still had their own concerns, their own worries and their own problems that lingered in the back of their minds— Tatiana bearing concern and mild dread for the citizens of Vinyl City who were affected badly by this sudden monsoon, Kliff being worried about his shop and the stress of having to discover just how badly it was affected by this storm after it had passed… however, in this moment, the two adults felt that they could at least feel better in knowing that they were both alright and not out in the rain.

It wasn't long before the pair dozed off together, worldly troubles temporarily forgotten for that of safety and peace.

Hoping for this moment to last forever was but a futile wish— still, there were many more chances to come, as time went on. The door that they had missed for years was finally open, and having entered it together… they weren't going to turn back.

_As they slept, they remained holding hands, fingers intertwined._

This was a dream they had always wanted, once upon a time.

* * *

_I love you, Tatiana Qwartz._

_I love you too, Kliff Hangar._

**Author's Note:**

> _"Hold on, if love is the answer, you're home."_  
>  \- **Touch** by Daft Punk ft. Paul Williams
> 
> **|1993 - 2021|**  
> 


End file.
